The New York Giants face a major decision after this offseason. They will be picking a new head coach for the seventh time since Tom Coughlin walked out of the building after the 2015 season.
For a legacy franchise such as the Giants, this is unnatural. They know they have to get this hire right.
General manager Joe Schoen will be leading the search and, along with co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, will determine who that person is. Among the leading candidates are Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, and Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
The process could include a stamp of approval from their prized rookie quarterback, Jaxson Dart. Schoen was asked this past week at his “state of the team” address if Dart’s opinion will hold any weight in the hiring process.
“You’re going to take that into account if he has an opinion. But again, like all due respect to Jaxson, he’s been here for nine months,” said Schoen. “You want to lean on him, and if it’s an offensive mind or concepts or something, but you’ve got people in the building that have been doing this for over 20 years and networks around the league and know what it looks like and have been doing it for a long time.
“So, I respect Jaxson a lot. We have great communication. Talk to him about a lot of things, and as it gets closer, that’s something we’ll have conversations about. But, again, the weight of the decision won’t …”
Schoen was then asked if he was still playing “matchmaker,” trying to find a candidate that fits his roster.
“Well, the entire team, it’s not just offensively,” he said. “Again, who can come in and lead the entire team offensively, defensively. Obviously, you do have a young quarterback, and that’s going to be important, the development of Jaxson, that he continues to progress the way he has. That’s obviously going to weigh heavy into the decision.”
These Giants have been all over the map recently when it comes to structure. Mara is dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and Tisch runs his end from California. Schoen is still not 100 percent sure he’ll be here next year, and there are questions about who the next person up in the organization is.
This decision is the most important one this team has had to make in over 45 years. With their recent track record, it may not be a totally zany idea to listen closely to Dart’s input.
